Lumaura Sanctuary

The halls ring softly with the toll of hollow bells, a quiet emptiness filling its porcelain walls as if laden with silent melancholy. Pale light flitters from bowels of crystal fire, its once brilliant radiance now faded to a languished, sullen hue. In Lumaura Sanctuary, it seems even gods can abandon their posts.

Though, in the absence of the pure, their legacy lives on through the discarded.

Born once as mere shadows of the divine power the Seraphs once held, the Lumaurans have risen to become the new generation of overseers, watching from their empyrean domain. To the Seraphs, they were nothing but minions, bound to servitude by their ancient masters’ marks . To the Cierans, they are the last remaining fragment of the holy power once held by the Seraphs. But even celestials have their quarrels, as now, the brands that once blinded the Lumaurans with burning adoration have begun to dwindle.

For centuries, the Lumaurans have been thralls to a lamented sovereign, Seraphic runes shackling their minds as the hollow echoes of command govern their very lifestyles. For centuries more, they will continue to wait in solitude, prepared to herald their masters’ return. But now, a select minority have begun to break their illusions, their sigils losing radiance as they claim a new sense of identity. "The Astray", those who are found having a weakened sigil, are deemed heretics, and cast down from the Sanctuary.

Despite being a glimmering beacon of light, Lumaura Sanctuary can be a dark and dreadful place. Its bright, ornate architecture stands as a ghost of what was, while the petty halflings cling on to what little divinity remains. Those who fall from the light are called tainted and blind, but who has truly opened their eyes?

Architecture

White marble towers emit a celestial glow, flooding the Sanctuary with pillars of divine light. A massive, yet dormant gate stands isolated at the center of the city like a weathered monolith; its function, formerly to bestow prophecies, now serves primarily as a reminder of their Seraphic ancestry. Skirting its base, golden ornaments adorn the gilded pillars with whirls and ripples, accentuating their sacred, yet empty appearance. From afar, onlookers might mistake the floating Sanctuary as a bright star amongst the clouds, its solemn beauty impervious to the dusky sky.

Technology / Wealth / RICE

The Lumaurans being half descendants of the Seraphs, have an innate proclivity towards the arcane arts, in addition to greater physical capability and longer life expectancy when compared to the average Cierian. For this reason, RICE does not play a role of importance in the operation of the Sanctuary, fuelled only by the infusions from the Lumarans it shelters. Using ancient techniques and enchantments handed down from the Seraphs, the Lumaurans are typically clad in intricate armor and wield weapons that amplify their abilities.

People and Culture

Deemed subservient to the Seraph race due to their lack of complete Seraphic blood, the halfling species of Lumaurans were used as underlings and serfs to the Seraphs for tasks unfit for pure blood. These tasks ranged from military grunt-work, to physical labor, and the monotonous duties of maintaining law and order. However, not all Lumaurans were so compliant in following their Seraphic orders, only lending their power by the lone obligation of blood. As such, the Seraphs bound the Lumaurans to obedience, branding their minds and wills with runes and sigils of servitude.

But loyalty wanes in absence of its master. With the disappearance of the Seraph race, the magic that once shackled the Lumauran’s minds began to fade, leaving many of them questioning their identities, and why they were obligated to ever serve the Seraphs in the first place. This conflict of self has created a divide in the Lumauran Sanctuary, leaving those still fettered by the ancient runes to exile their brothers and sisters, excommunicating their blighted minds from their divine sanctuary.

Government/Religion

The Lumarans follow a strict code that has stood since their foothold on the Sanctuary since the disappearance of the Seraphs. Any signs of disorder or unloyalty are met with swift punishment, most likely leading to exile or banishment from the Sanctuary. Some exceptional offenses are even met with clipped wings or a death sentence.

Without their masters, the Lumarans have fallen to a state of entropy and limbo, defaulting to the strict training and rigid ideals that were drilled into them at birth. The oldest of the Lumarans rule with daily sacrament and worship to the Seraphs, seeking to remain loyal dogs should their masters ever return. Only the most resolute may lead the astrayed Lumarans.

History

During ancient times, the powerful Seraphs ruled over Cier, pushing the boundaries of magic and mana. One of their greatest accomplishments however, was the construction of a great ethereal gate within the sky, rumored to be capable of bridging the gap between alternate realities, dimensions, and through time itself. Although not perfected and highly unstable, the Seraphs used the gate to perform rituals and divination, receiving snapshots and prophecies from the future in an attempt to control their own fate.

Lumaurans being halfbreeds of Seraphs and Cierians, were treated as an inferior race to the Seraphs and trained as servants, soldiers, or guards. After the Seraphs mysteriously disappeared during the massive war against the Somnians, the Lumaurans were left behind with no orders, no direction, and no purpose. With their purpose as servants now void, and mistreatment from the Cierians due to fear of their inherent powers, the Lumaurans retreated back to their post at the now abandoned floating gate known as the Lumauran Sanctuary, forever awaiting the return of their long gone masters.